The extended application period is now open for the first Oklahoma Highway Patrol academy since June of 2018.
OHP is also pushing back the start date for the 66th academy.
Applications are open now through August 31st. OHP said they're plan is to have a little more than a thousand troopers on the force, right now they're sitting at the mid-700s.
That's why they're going to try some different incentives this year. Including the possibility of offering contracts across the state.
That means OHP is going to try to the best of their ability, get a applicants back to the area near their home town, and have them train there as well. While these incentives are no guarantee yet, OHP said with this short staff, it affects not just one specific area, but all 77 counties across the state.
"With those shortages comes a longer response time for troopers to go across the county," said Captain Jay Clary at OHP.
OHP said, when troopers get to go back to the area where they are from, they almost always tend to stay there longer, and have a more fulfilling career.
It has also been at least five years since the last time OHP has offered these incentives.